Electronic mail display device

ABSTRACT

To provide a technique for facilitating the management of an attachment file attached to an electronic mail. A client apparatus acquires attachment position information in a text of the electronic mail and stores it associated with an identifier of the electronic mail, in receiving the electronic mail with attachment file. Upon receiving an instruction for displaying the electronic mail from the user, the client apparatus arranges a graphic representing the attachment file of the electronic mail on a child screen that displays the reduced screen of a parent screen that displays the electronic mail based on the corresponding attachment position information, and displays the child screen together with the parent screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/353,377, filed Jan. 14, 2009, entitled “Electronic Mail DisplayProgram Product, Method, Apparatus and System”, which is hereinincorporated by reference. This application claims priority under 35U.S.C. §120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/353,377, filed Jan.14, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a management method for an electronicmail with attachment file, and more particularly to techniques forfacilitating the management of an attachment file attached to anelectronic mail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

The techniques for attaching a document or image file to the electronicmail are widely known, in which the sender can attach a file at anyposition of the text in the electronic mail. Also, the electronic mailis widely used as one means for information transfer by not only theindividual but also the enterprise. In an intranet environment, theelectronic mail with attachment file is often sent to a plurality ofpeople such as all the participants with a project. Also, such mail withattachment file is repeatedly replied or transferred between theparticipants, and the attachment file is added every time.

By the way, the attachment file attached to the electronic mail ismostly a document file or an image file produced by the documentcreation software or table creation software, and generally has a largeamount of volume. Therefore, the recipient of the electronic mail maywant to delete the attachment file personally irrelevant or theattachment file not required. On the other hand, the recipient wants todisplay and sometimes edit the attachment file personally relevant.Therefore, it is desired to acquire quickly and easily what file isattached to the electronic mail, or the attachment file informationregarding the attachment file.

As a technique for providing the attachment file information to theuser, there is a Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-67306.Patent Application No. 2003-67306 discloses an accumulation managementmethod of accumulating one or more electronic mail data sent or receivedvia an electronic mail server as a series of electronic mail histories,extracting a part or all of the attached document appended to theaccumulated electronic mail data, and generating management informationon the extracted attached document for one or more electronic mail dataincluded in the generated electronic mail histories. And PatentApplication No. 2003-67306 discloses a technique for displaying a listof attached documents sent or received among the electronic mailsincluded in the electronic mail histories in response to a retrievalrequest with the retrieval conditions designating the electronic mailhistory.

Also, Patent Application No. 2000-3314 discloses an electronic mailreceiving apparatus for preparing a condition table describing thereceiving conditions for the attachment file attached to the electronicmail, acquiring the attachment file information that is information onthe attachment file from header information in the electronic mail,judging whether or not it satisfies the receiving conditions in thecondition table, and judging whether or not the attachment file can bereceived or not, in which if it is judged that the reception ispossible, a receiving process for the attachment file is performed.

In the Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-67306, theattached document is listed associated with one series of electronicmail histories (business histories) including one or more electronicmail data. This is because Patent Application No. 2003-67306 is aimed todirectly refer to the attached document regarding the business historyof interest without individual electronic mails, thereby reducing aburden required to refer to the attached document. Also, the managementinformation of the attached document provided in the list is limited tothe file name of attached document, the transmission date and time ofelectronic mail, the sender and the file volume of attached document.

However, it is difficult to judge whether or not the attachment file isdirectly related with the recipient, only based on the relevance of theattachment file to the business history interested or the managementinformation of the attached document. That is, to make such a judgment,it is necessary to know for what course or purpose the attachment fileis attached, and therefore to know the relationship between theattachment file and the text of the electronic mail to which theattachment file is attached.

Also, in Patent Application No. 2000-3314, the receiving conditions forthe attachment file attached to the electronic mail are set in thecondition table, thereby making it possible to selectively receive theattachment file to be processed by the recipient or the attachment fileto confirm the contents by the recipient. However, a technique of thePatent Application No. 2000-3314 demands that such receiving conditionsfor the attachment file are set in advance. Further, the techniqueemploys a predetermined nomenclature of file, whereby it is required tomake a prior agreement for using such nomenclature between the userssending or receiving the mail.

An embodiment of this invention has been achieved to solve theabove-mentioned problems and facilitates the management of theattachment file attached to the electronic mail by providing the userwith information on the relationship between the attachment file and thetext of the electronic mail with the attachment file attached. Also,embodiments of this invention provide the attachment file information onthe attachment file in such a format that it is easy for the user tounderstand intuitively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to accomplish the above, the present invention is achieved byan electronic mail display program product for displaying an electronicmail, in which the electronic mail display program product is executedon a client apparatus that receives the mail. The electronic maildisplay program product includes a program storage device readable bythe client apparatus, and a program of instructions tangibly embodied onthe program storage device and executable by the client apparatus toperform method steps for displaying an electronic mail. The method stepscomprises acquiring attachment position information indicating theattachment position in a text of the electronic mail for an attachmentfile of the received electronic mail, storing the acquired attachmentposition information associated with a corresponding identifier of theelectronic mail, and arranging a graphic representing the attachmentfile of the electronic mail on a child screen for displaying a reducedscreen of a parent screen for displaying the electronic mail based onthe corresponding attachment position information and displaying thechild screen together with the parent screen.

The attachment position information is acquired from a mail server thatstores the electronic mail addressed to the computer. Also, preferably,the attachment position information includes the number of charactersand the number of line feeds from the text head of the electronic mailto the attachment position of the attachment file.

Also, the method further comprises acquiring the attribute informationregarding the attachment file for the attachment file of the receivedelectronic mail. And the graphic representing the attachment file of theelectronic mail is different depending on the attribute information ofthe attachment file. The attribute information includes a file type anda file size of the attachment file.

Also, the attribute information includes the attached state informationindicating an attached state of the attachment file. And the electronicmail display program product further enables the client apparatus toupdate the attached state information included in the attributeinformation of the attachment file from an attached state to a deletedstate in response to a delete instruction for deleting the attachmentfile from a user of the client apparatus.

Also, the attribute information includes the number of accesses to theattachment file. And the electronic mail display program product furtherenables the client apparatus to increment the number of accessesincluded in the attribute information of the attachment file in responseto an execution instruction for the attachment file from the user of theclient apparatus.

Also, the attribute information includes the number of edits of theattachment file. And the electronic mail display program product furtherenables the client apparatus to increment the number of edits includedin the attribute information of the attachment file in response to anedit instruction for the attachment file from the user of the clientapparatus.

Also, the electronic mail display program product further enables theclient apparatus to prompt the user of the client apparatus to select aprocess for the attachment file corresponding to the selected graphicfrom among display, edit, store and delete in response to a selectioninstruction for the graphic on the child screen from the user of theclient apparatus.

Also, the electronic mail display program product further enables theclient apparatus to detect a state where a cursor is located on thechild screen, and display in up scale the child screen near the positionof the cursor in response to the detection.

Also, the electronic mail display program product further enables theclient apparatus to detect a state where the cursor is put on thegraphic on the child screen, and display the attribute information ofthe attachment file corresponding to the graphic on which the cursor isput near the cursor in response to the detection.

Also, the electronic mail is a batch of one series of electronic mailsthat are repeatedly transferred or replied.

Also, the parent screen has a scroll function, and the child screendisplays in down scale the entire text of the electronic mail.

In order to accomplish the above, the invention is also achieved by anelectronic mail display program product for displaying an electronicmail, in which the electronic mail display program product is executedon a mail server system. The electronic mail display program productincludes a program storage device readable by a mail server, and aprogram of instructions tangibly embodied on the program storage deviceand executable by the mail server to perform method steps for displayingan electronic mail. The method steps comprises acquiring attachmentposition information indicating the attachment position in a text of theelectronic mail for an attachment file of the received electronic mail,extracting the attachment file from the electronic mail and storing theextracted attachment file in an attachment file storage device,embedding storage location information indicating a storage location ofthe attachment file at an attachment position of the attachment file forthe electronic mail, storing the electronic mail into which the storagelocation information of the attachment file is embedded in acorresponding mail box, based on the destination information, storingthe attachment position information associated with the storage locationinformation and an identifier of the electronic mail in an attachmentfile information storage device, and transmitting the electronic mailstored in the corresponding mail box together with the correspondingattachment position information to a client apparatus in response to areception request for the electronic mail from the client apparatus.

The method further comprises acquiring attribute information of theattachment file of the received electronic mail, storing the acquiredattribute information in the attachment file information storage device,performing a process in accordance with the contents of a request inresponse to the request from the client apparatus including the storagelocation information of the attachment file, and updating the attributeinformation of the corresponding attachment file in accordance with theprocess that is performed.

Further, the electronic mail is a batch of one series of electronicmails that are repeatedly transferred or replied, and transmitting theelectronic mail to the client apparatus includes transmitting theelectronic mail together with the corresponding attachment positioninformation and the attribute information after update to the clientapparatus.

The embodiments of this invention have been described above as theelectronic mail display program product executed on each of the clientapparatus and the mail server system. However, the invention can be alsograsped as an electronic mail display device that is embodied by runningsuch electronic mail display program product on the client apparatus.Further, the invention can be also grasped as a method for displayingthe electronic mail on the client apparatus.

With the invention, since the attachment position information of theattachment file attached to the electronic mail text is provided to theuser, the user can know the relationship between the attachment file andthe text of the electronic mail to which the attachment file isattached, whereby the management of the attachment file is facilitated.Further, with the invention, since the child screen that displays indown scale the text of the electronic mail on which the graphicrepresenting the attachment file is arranged at the appropriate positionis provided, the user can understand intuitively the relationshipbetween the attachment file and the text of the electronic mail to whichthe attachment file is attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing one example of the overall configuration of anelectronic mail display system according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing one example of the functional configuration ofa client apparatus 100 and a mail server 200 b according to the firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view showing one example of a table stored in an attachmentfile viewer database according to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view showing one example of a screen display of anelectronic mail with attachment file by an electronic mail client;

FIG. 5 is a view showing one example of a child screen for displaying indown scale the entire text of the electronic mail with attachment fileaccording to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information acquisition process according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information registration process according to the first embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information display process according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information update process according to the embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 10 is a view showing one example of the overall configuration of anelectronic mail display system according to a second embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is a view showing one example of the functional configuration ofthe mail servers 300 a and 300 b and an attachment file server 400according to the second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12A is a view showing one example of a table stored in anattachment file information storage device according to the secondembodiment of the invention, and FIG. 12B is a view showing anotherexample of the table stored in the attachment file information storagedevice according to the second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13A is a view showing one example of a table stored in anattachment file viewer database according to the second embodiment ofthe invention, and FIG. 13B is a view showing another example of thetable stored in the attachment file viewer database according to thesecond embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information acquisition process according to the second embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information update process according to the second embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information registration and update process according to the secondembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 17 is a view showing one example of the hardware configuration ofan information processing apparatus suitable to implement the clientapparatus 100, the mail servers 200 and 300, and the attachment fileserver 400 according to the embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be describedbelow in detail with reference to the drawings. The followingembodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and allthe combinations of features as described in the embodiments are notnecessarily requisite to solving means of the invention. The same partsare designated by the same reference numerals throughout the descriptionof the embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a view showing the overall configuration of an electronic mailinformation display system according to a first embodiment of theinvention. The system comprises the mail servers 200 a and 200 b,connected to a network 90 such as the Internet or LAN (Local AreaNetwork), for providing a transmitting and receiving service of theelectronic mail to a plurality of client apparatuses 100, and theplurality of client apparatuses 100, connected to the network 90, forexchanging the electronic mail with each other, using the serviceprovided by the mail servers 200 a and 200 b.

A client apparatus 100 that transmits an electronic mail transmits thecreated electronic mail to a mail server 200 a with which it isregistered, using an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

The mail server 200 a receives the electronic mail from the registeredclient apparatus 100, and then transfers the received mail to a mailserver 200 b that manages the electronic mail addressed to a destinationaddress of the electronic mail, using the SMTP.

The mail server 200 b receives the electronic mail from the mail server200 a, and then stores the electronic mail in a mail box prepared foreach address of the electronic mail. If the electronic mail is theelectronic mail with an attachment file, the mail server 200 b accordingto the invention calculates the attachment position information in anelectronic mail text of the attachment file. And the mail server 200 bstores the attachment position information as a part of the attachmentfile information associated with the electronic mail.

The mail server 200 b receives an access request from the registeredclient apparatus 100, and then authenticates the client apparatus 100,using a POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3). And the mail server 200 btransfers the requested electronic mail, together with the attachmentfile information if there is an attachment file, to the client apparatus100, on the condition that the authentication is successful.

The client apparatus 100 receiving the electronic mail gains access tothe mail server 200 b with which it is registered, and makes a requestfor receiving a list of electronic mails addressed to itself or theelectronic mail. In receiving the electronic mail with an attachmentfile, the client apparatus 100 according to the invention also receivesthe corresponding attachment file information. And the client apparatus100 assigns an identifier to the received attachment file informationand registers the attachment file information in a table, associatedwith the identifier and the corresponding Message-ID of the electronicmail.

The client apparatus 100 reads the corresponding attachment fileinformation from the table, when displaying the electronic mail withattachment file in response to a user's instruction of the clientapparatus 100 as one example. And the client apparatus 100 arranges agraphic representing the attachment file of the electronic mail on achild screen that displays the reduced screen of a parent screendisplaying the electronic mail, based on the attachment positioninformation included in the corresponding attachment file information,and displays the child screen together with the parent screen. Theparent screen may be an electronic mail display screen for theelectronic mail client having a scroll function, and the child screenmay display in down scale the entire text of the electronic mail.

The user of the client apparatus 100 according to the invention cangrasp the attachment position of the attachment file in the electronicmail text from the display position of the graphic representing theattachment file displayed on the child screen and know the relationshipbetween the attachment file and the text of the electronic mail to whichthe attachment file is attached. For example, when a plurality ofaddresses are designated as the destinations of the electronic mail, theelectronic mail text may often include the message addressed to therecipient and the message addressed to any other party than therecipient. In such a case, the attachment file attached near the messageaddressed to itself is relevant to itself at very high possibility,while the attachment file attached near the message addressed to theother party is irrelevant to itself at high possibility.

Also, when the received electronic mail is a batch of one series ofelectronic mails that are repeatedly transferred or returned, some ofthe previous electronic mails may be irrelevant to the recipient. Andthere is high possibility that the attachment file attached to the textpart of the electronic mail directly irrelevant is also irrelevant tothe recipient.

In this way, according to the invention, since the attachment positioninformation of the attachment file attached in the electronic mail textis provided to the user, the user can know the relationship between theattachment file and the text of the electronic mail to which theattachment file is attached from the attachment position information,and make the management of the attachment file more easily. Further,according to the invention, since the child screen on which the graphicrepresenting the attachment file is arranged at an appropriate positionis provided, the user can understand intuitively and quickly therelationship between the attachment file and the text of the electronicmail to which the attachment file is attached.

FIG. 2 is a view showing one example of the functional configuration ofthe mail server 200 b and the client apparatus 100 according to thefirst embodiment of the invention. The mail server 200 b according tothe first embodiment comprises a received mail management part 205, anelectronic mail storage device 210, an attachment file informationacquisition part 215, and an attachment file information storage device230.

The electronic mail storage device 210 comprises a plurality of mailboxes corresponding to the mail addresses of a plurality of clientapparatuses 100 registered with the mail server 200 b.

The received mail management part 205 has a conventional mail serverfunction of receiving the electronic mail addressed to the registeredclient apparatus 100 from the mail server 200 a and storing the receivedelectronic mail in the corresponding mail box of the electronic mailstorage device 210. When there is a file attached to the electronicmail, the received mail management part 205 according to the inventiononce passes the file to the attachment file information acquisition part215, before storing the file in the mail box.

The attachment file information acquisition part 215 comprises aposition calculation part 220 and an attribute extraction part 225, andacquires the attachment file information on the attachment file from theelectronic mail if receiving the electronic mail with attachment filefrom the received mail management part 205.

Herein, the attachment position information of the attachment file meansthe position information of an icon or inline display for the attachmentfile on an electronic mail display window of the electronic mail clientoperating on the client apparatus 100. For example, in an instance ofthe electronic mail display window of the electronic mail client asshown in FIG. 4, the attachment position information of the attachmentfile as indicated by the icon 50 is (X1, Y1), and the attachmentposition information of the attachment file as indicated by the icon 52is (X2, Y2). The attachment position information (X, Y) can berepresented with the row and the column in the electronic mail text. Asone example, the attachment position information (X, Y) may berepresented as the number of characters and the number of line feedsfrom the head of the text of the electronic mail to the attachmentposition of the attachment file. The size of the electronic mail displaywindow is fixed, or a default value.

Also, the attribute extraction part 225 extracts the attributeinformation of the attachment file except for the attachment positioninformation from the electronic mail. The attribute extraction part 225in this embodiment extracts, as the attribute information, the messageidentifier and title of the electronic mail to which the attachment fileis attached, the file name, file type and file size of the attachmentfile. As one example, in the electronic mail in accordance with an MIME(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) specification, the formerattribute information can be extracted from the header part (Message-IDfield value and Subject field value) of the electronic mail, and thelatter attribute information can be extracted from the header part(Content-Type field value and name value) and the main part of theattachment file separated by a delimiter statement in the message mainpart.

The information acquired by the position calculation part 220 and theattribute extraction part 225 is stored as the attachment fileinformation, associated with the corresponding electronic mail, in theattachment file information storage device 230. And the received mailmanagement part 205, like the conventional mail server, reads theelectronic mail from the corresponding mail box and transfers it to theclient apparatus 100, if receiving a request for mail reception from theauthenticated client apparatus 100. When there is a file attached to theelectronic mail, the received mail management part 205 according to theinvention reads the corresponding attachment file information from theattachment file information storage device 230 and transfers it togetherwith the electronic mail to the client apparatus 100.

Next, the client apparatus 100 according to the first embodimentcomprises an electronic mail management part 105, an attachment fileinformation acquisition part 110, an attachment file informationmanagement part 125, a child screen display part 140, an attachment fileviewer database 145 and a child screen display regulation storage device150.

The electronic mail management part 105 has the conventional electronicmail client function and performs a series of processes includingcreating, sending and receiving, and displaying the electronic mail inresponse to a user's instruction of the client apparatus 100. Inreceiving the electronic mail with attachment file from the mail server200 b, the electronic mail management part 105 according to theinvention receives the corresponding attachment file together with theelectronic mail, and passes it to the attachment file informationacquisition part 110, as will be described later.

Also, if a display instruction for the electronic mail with attachmentfile is made by the user of the client apparatus 100, the electronicmail management part 105 according to the invention notifies theinstruction together with the identifier (Message-ID) of the selectedelectronic mail to the child screen display part 140. Furthermore, ifthe attachment file is selected by the user of the client apparatus 100,the electronic mail management part 105 displays a selection windowincluding the display, edit, store and delete buttons to prompt the userto select a process for the attachment file. And the electronic mailmanagement part 105 notifies the kind of the process selected by theuser together with the identifier (Message-ID) of the electronic mail towhich the attachment file is attached to the attachment file informationmanagement part 125, as will be described later.

If the electronic mail with attachment file is received in the clientapparatus 100, the attachment file information acquisition part 110acquires the attachment file information from the electronic mailmanagement part 105. As the position calculation part 115 and theattribute extraction part 120 are indicated by the dotted line in FIG.2, the attachment file information acquisition part 110 has thefunctions that the attachment file information acquisition part 215 ofthe mail server 200 b has, namely, the position calculation part 220 andthe attribute extraction part 225, whereby the attachment fileinformation may be acquired from the electronic mail with attachmentfile in the client apparatus 100. With such a configuration, it ispreferable that if the size of the electronic mail display window(parent screen) is variable, the position calculation part 115 providedin the client apparatus 100 receives a notification that the size of theelectronic mail display window (parent screen) is changed by the user,and the attachment position information (X, Y) is calculated every time.In any case, the attachment file information acquisition part 110further passes the acquired attachment file information to theattachment file information management part 125.

The attachment file information management part 125 comprises aregistration part 130 and an update part 135, and receives and managesthe attachment file information from the attachment file informationacquisition part 110. That is, the registration part 130, upon receivingthe attachment file information from the attachment file informationacquisition part 110, appends an identifier (AIV-ID: AttachmentInformation Viewer Identifier) for uniquely identifying the attachmentfile information in the client apparatus 100 to it, and registers theattachment file information associated with the AIV-ID and thecorresponding identifier of the electronic mail in the attachment fileviewer database 145.

FIG. 3 shows one example of a table in the attachment file viewerdatabase 145. The table includes the columns of the AIV-ID, Message-ID,Subject, attachment file name, attachment file position, attachment filetype, attachment file size, and attachment file states, as shown in FIG.3. The registration part 130 registers the AIV-ID in a column of theAIV-ID. As shown in FIG. 3, the AIV-ID is decided by the Message-ID,Subject, and attachment file name in this embodiment. Also, theregistration part 130 registers the Message-ID that is the messageidentifier and the value of Subject that is the title for the electronicmail to which the attachment file is attached in the columns ofMessage-ID and Subject.

Further, the registration part 130 registers the values acquired by theattribute extraction part 225 of the mail server 200 b and included inthe attachment file information in the columns of the attachment filename, attachment file type, and attachment file size. Similarly, theregistration part 130 registers the value calculated by the positioncalculation part 220 of the mail server 200 b and included in theattachment file information in the column of the attachment fileposition.

The registration part 130 also registers the information indicating thestates of attachment file in the columns of the attachment file states.In this embodiment, the states of the attachment file include the numberof accesses to the attachment file in the client apparatus 100, thedeleted state of the attachment file and the number of edits of theattachment file, as shown in FIG. 3. The registration part 130 registersthe initial values in the columns of the states of attachment file inregistering the attachment file information in the attachment fileviewer database 145 for the first time. Herein, the initial values ofthe number of accesses and the number of edits are 0, and the initialvalue of the deleted state is the value indicating NO.

As described above, when the attachment file is selected by the user ofthe client apparatus 100, the attachment file information managementpart 125, namely, the update part 135 receives a notification of thekind of process for the attachment file together with the Message-IDfrom the electronic mail management part 105, or the child screendisplay part 140, as will be described later. And if the kind of processis “display”, the update part 135 reads the value of the number ofaccesses for the attachment file information having the Message-IDcoincident with the received Message-ID from the attachment file viewerdatabase 145, and increments it by one. Similarly, if the kind ofprocess is “edit”, the update part 135 reads the value of the number ofedits for the attachment file information having the Message-IDcoincident with the received Message-ID from the attachment file viewerdatabase 145, and increments it by one. Furthermore, if the kind ofprocess is “delete”, the update part 135 reads the value of the deletedstate for the attachment file information having the Message-IDcoincident with the received Message-ID from the attachment file viewerdatabase 145, and updates it with the value indicating YES.

The child screen display part 140, on receiving a notification of adisplay instruction for the electronic mail together with the Message-IDof the electronic mail from the electronic mail management part 105,displays a child screen displaying in down scale the entire text of theelectronic mail on the display screen of the client apparatus 100. Thischild screen may be displayed together with an electronic mail displaywindow (hereinafter referred to as a parent screen) having a scrollfunction as shown in FIG. 4 and displayed and managed by the electronicmail management part 105. The reduction ratio of the electronic mailtext is preferably the value at which the entire text of the electronicmail is displayed on the child screen of a predetermined size withoutthe scroll function, and preferably dynamically changed according to thelength of the text of the electronic mail.

In displaying the child screen for the electronic mail with attachmentfile, the child screen display part 140 reads the attachment fileinformation having the Message-ID coincident with the Message-ID of thedisplayed electronic mail from the attachment file viewer database 145.And the child screen display part 140 decides a graphic representing theattachment file in accordance with the child screen display regulationstored in the child screen display regulation storage device 145, andarranges and displays the decided graphic at an appropriate position onthe child screen, based on the attachment position information includedin the attachment file information.

The child screen display part 140 also displays a selection windowincluding the display, edit, store and delete buttons to prompt the userto select a process for the attachment file in response to a selectioninstruction of the graphic on the child screen from the user of theclient apparatus 100. And the child screen display part 140 notifies thekind of process selected by the user together with the identifier(Message-ID) of the electronic mail to which the attachment file isattached to the attachment file information management part 125.

The child screen display part 140 preferably detects the state where thecursor is located on the child screen, and displays in up scale thechild screen near the position of the cursor in response to thedetection. With this function, even if any character in the electronicmail text is illegible on the child screen, the user can know thecontents of the electronic mail text near the cursor by moving thecursor nearer to it. The child screen display part 140 also detects thestate where the cursor is put on the graphic on the child screen, anddisplays the attachment file information of the attachment filecorresponding to the graphic on which the cursor is put near the cursorin response to the detection. The displayed attachment file informationmay include the attachment file name, attachment file size, and detailedinformation of the attachment file states, namely, the number ofaccesses and the number of edits, as one example.

The child screen display regulation storage device 145 stores the childscreen display regulation for deciding the graphic representing theattachment file, which is displayed on the child screen. The childscreen display regulation for use is preferably the regulation ofdeciding the different graphic depending on the type of attachment file,size of attachment file and states of attachment file. As one example,the child screen display regulation may decide the shape and color ofgraphic according to the type of attachment file, and decide the hue ofcolor according to the size of attachment file. Furthermore, as oneexample, the child screen display regulation may decide the thickness ofthe contour for the graphic according to the number of accesses to theattachment file, decide the kind of the contour for the graphicaccording to the deleted state of the attachment file, and decide theornament of the contour for the graphic according to the number of editsof the attachment file.

FIG. 5 shows one example of a child screen 600 that is displayed on thedisplay screen of the client apparatus 100 by the child screen displaypart 140. Herein, it is supposed that the electronic mail of which thetext is displayed in down scale on the child screen 600 is a batch ofone series of electronic mails which are repeatedly transferred orreturned, and includes an electronic mail 60 a newly written at thistime and the previous electronic mails 60 b and 60 c that aretransferred or returned. Also, it is supposed that a document file 62and an image file 64 are attached to the electronic mail 60 a, an imagefile 66 is attached to an electronic mail 60 b, and a document file 68is attached to an electronic mail 60 c.

Each graphic representing the attachment file is arranged and displayedat an appropriate position on the child screen, based on the attachmentposition information of the corresponding attachment file, as shown inFIG. 5. As a result, the user of the client apparatus 100 can understandthe relationship between the electronic mail text and the attachmentfile only by looking at the child screen. Also, if a cursor 70 is movedon the child screen, the contents of the electronic mail text near thecursor are displayed in up scale, whereby the user can confirm thecontents, as shown in FIG. 5. The child screen 600 may be displayedtogether with the window of the electronic mail client that is theparent screen, as shown in FIG. 4.

In an example as shown in FIG. 5, the document file is represented inrectangle and red (see the graphics 62 and 68), and the image file isrepresented in circle and light blue (see the graphics 64 and 66).Furthermore, in the example as shown in FIG. 5, it is indicated that theattachment file is deleted by the broken line contour of the graphic(see the graphic 64), it is indicated that the number of edits of theattachment file is great by the double line contour of the graphic (seethe graphic 62), and it is indicated that the number of accesses isgreat by the thick line contour of the graphic (see the graphic 66).Accordingly, the user of the client apparatus 100 can know the file typeof the corresponding attachment file, size of the file, and states ofthe file at once from the graphic in this embodiment. An AIV (AttachmentInformation Viewer) flag may be prepared to turn ON or OFF the functionsof the attachment file information acquisition part 110, the attachmentfile information management part 125 and the child screen display part140 in accordance with an instruction of the user.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 9, the flow of a process for displaying theattachment file information according to the first embodiment of theinvention will be described below. In the following description, it issupposed that a process for acquiring the attachment file informationfrom the electronic mail with attachment file is performed in the mailserver 200 b. However, it is noted that this process can be performed inthe client apparatus 100 as described above. FIG. 6 is a flowchartshowing one example of the flow of the attachment file informationacquisition process in the mail server 200 b. In FIG. 6, the processstarts at step 100, where the mail server 200 b takes the Message-ID andSubject out of the header part of the electronic mail with attachmentfile.

Next, the mail server 200 b acquires the file name and file type of theattachment file from the header part of the attachment file separated bythe delimiter statement in the message main part of the electronic mail,and similarly acquires the file size of the attachment file from themain body part of the attachment file separated by the delimiterstatement (step 105).

Lastly, the mail server 200 b acquires the attachment positioninformation (X, Y) of the attachment file in the electronic mail text bycounting the number of characters and the number of line feeds from thetext head of the electronic mail to the attachment position of theattachment file (step 110). And the process is ended. The processingsfrom step 100 to step 110 may be performed in a different sequence fromthe sequence as described above.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information registration process in the client apparatus 100. Theprocess as shown in FIG. 7 starts when an electronic mail client on theclient apparatus 100 is activated and the electronic mail client sends arequest for electronic mail reception to the mail server 200 b. In FIG.7, the process starts at step 120, where the client apparatus 100 gainsaccess to the mail server 200 b with which it is registered and receivesthe electronic mail. Next, the client apparatus 100 judges whether ornot the attachment file information display function is usable by seeingthe AIV flag (step 125). If the AIV flag indicates OFF (step 125: NO),the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the AIV flag indicates ON (step 125: YES), theprocess goes to step S130, where the client apparatus 100 receives theattachment file information corresponding to the received electronicmail from the mail server 200 b. And the client apparatus 100 registersthe received attachment file information in the attachment file viewerdatabase (step 135). And the process is ended.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information display process in the client apparatus 100. Theprocess as shown in FIG. 8 starts when the user makes an instruction fordisplaying the electronic mail selected by the user to the electronicmail client operating on the client apparatus 100. In FIG. 8, theprocess starts at step 150, where the client apparatus 100 judgeswhether or not the attachment file information display function isusable by seeing the AIV flag (step 150). If the AIV flag indicates OFF(step 150: NO), the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the AIV flag indicates ON (step 150: YES), theprocess goes to step S155, where the client apparatus 100 displays thechild screen for displaying in down scale the entire text of theselected electronic mail together with the parent screen of theelectronic mail client having the scroll function on the display screenof the client apparatus 100. Next, the client apparatus 100 acquires theMessage-ID of the electronic mail selected to display (step 160), andreads one attachment file information including the Message-IDcoincident with the acquired Message-ID from the attachment file viewerdatabase 145 (step 165).

Further, the client apparatus 100 decides a graphic representing theattachment file by converting each information included in the readattachment file information into graphic information in accordance withthe child screen display regulation stored in the child screen displayregulation storage device 150 (step 170). And the client apparatus 100arranges the decided graphic at an appropriate position and displays iton the child screen, based on the attachment position informationincluded in the read attachment file information (step 175).

Thereafter, the client apparatus 100 judges whether or not theattachment file information including the Message-ID coincident with theacquired Message-ID is still present in the attachment file viewerdatabase 145 (step 180). If the attachment file information stillremains (step 180: YES), the process returns to step 165, whereby aseries of steps from step 170 to step 180 are repeated. If theattachment file information does not remain (step 180: NO), the processis ended.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information update process in the client apparatus 100. The processas shown in FIG. 9 starts when there is a user's selection instructionfor the attachment file inputted into the parent screen or child screendisplayed on the display screen of the client apparatus 100, and aselection window including the display, edit, store and delete buttonsappears to prompt the user to select the process for the attachmentfile. In FIG. 9, the process starts at step 200, where the clientapparatus 100 judges whether or not the attachment file informationdisplay function is usable by seeing the AIV flag. If the AIV flagindicates OFF (step 200: NO), the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the AIV flag indicates ON (step 200: YES), theprocess goes to step S205, where the client apparatus 100 decides theAIV-ID from the file name of the selected attachment file and theMessage-ID and Subject of the electronic mail to which the attachmentfile is attached (step 205). Next, the client apparatus 100 judgeswhether or not the process for the attachment file is “delete” (step210). If the process is “delete” (step 210: YES), the client apparatus100 updates the value in the column of the deleted state for theattachment file information having the decided AIV-ID to YES (step 215).

On the other hand, if the process is not “delete” (step 210: NO), theprocess goes to step 220, where the client apparatus 100 judges whetheror not the process for the attachment file is “edit”. If the process is“edit” (step 210: YES), the client apparatus 100 increments by one thevalue in the column of the number of edits of the attachment fileinformation having the decided AIV-ID (step 225). On the other hand, ifthe process is not “edit” (step 220: NO), the process goes to step 230,where the client apparatus 100 judges whether or not the process for theattachment file is “display/execution”.

If the process is “display/execution” (step 230: YES), the clientapparatus 100 increments by one the value in the column of the number ofaccesses to the attachment file information having the decided AIV-ID(step 235). On the other hand, if the process is not “display/execution”(step 230: NO), the process is ended. The process goes from steps 215,225 and 235 to step 240, where the client apparatus 100 redraws thechild screen based on the attachment file information after update, andthe process is ended.

In the first embodiment, the invention has been described above with acase where the attachment file is directly attached to the electronicmail. Thus, in a second embodiment of the invention, the invention willbe described below with a case where the attachment file is attached ina calling form. FIG. 10 is a view showing the overall configuration ofan electronic mail display system according to the second embodiment ofthe invention. The system comprises the mail servers 300 a and 300 b andan attachment file server 400, connected to a network 90 such as theInternet or LAN (Local Area Network), for providing a transmitting andreceiving service of the electronic mail to a plurality of clientapparatuses 100, and the plurality of client apparatuses 100, connectedto the network 90, for exchanging the electronic mail with each other,using the service provided by the mail servers 300 a and 300 b and theattachment file server 400.

A client apparatus 100 that transmits an electronic mail transmits thecreated electronic mail to a mail server 300 a with which it isregistered, using an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

The mail server 300 a according to the invention receives the electronicmail from the registered client apparatus 100, and then judges whetheror not the attachment file is attached to the electronic mail. If theattachment file is attached, the mail server 300 a calculates theattachment position information of the attachment file in the electronicmail text. Also, if the attachment file satisfies a predeterminedcondition, for example, if the file size is a predetermined value orgreater, the mail server 300 a deletes and extracts the attachment filefrom the electronic mail, and decodes it. And the mail server 300 apasses the decoded attachment file to the attachment file server 400.

The attachment file server 400 receives the attachment file, and thenstores it at a predetermined storage location, as well as returns thestorage location information indicating the storage location to the mailserver 300 a. Also, the attachment file server 400, upon receiving anaccess request together with the storage location information from theclient apparatus 100 that is a recipient of the electronic mail,transfers the attachment file stored in the storage location indicatedby the received storage location information to the client apparatus100.

The mail server 300 a embeds the storage location information receivedfrom the attachment file server 400 into the attachment position of thedeleted attachment file. And the mail server 300 a transfers thereceived electronic mail directly if the file is not attached, ortogether with the attachment file information including the attachmentposition information if the file is attached, to the mail server 300 bfor managing the electronic mail addressed to the destination address ofthe electronic mail, using the SMTP.

The mail server 300 b receives the electronic mail from the mail server300 a, and then stores the electronic mail in the mail box prepared foreach address of the electronic mail. If the file is attached directly orindirectly to the electronic mail, the mail server 300 b according tothe invention stores the attachment file information including theattachment position information transferred together with the electronicmail associated with the electronic mail.

The mail server 300 b receives an access request from the registeredclient apparatus 100, and authenticates the client apparatus 100, usinga POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3). And the mail server 300 btransfers the requested electronic mail, together with the attachmentfile information if the file is attached directly or indirectly to theelectronic mail, to the client apparatus 100, on the condition that theauthentication is successful.

The client apparatus 100 receiving the electronic mail gains access tothe mail server 300 b with which it is registered, and makes a requestfor receiving a list of electronic mails addressed to itself or theelectronic mail. The client apparatus 100 according to the inventionreceives the corresponding attachment file information together with theelectronic mail, if the file is attached directly or indirectly to theelectronic mail. And the client apparatus 100 assigns an identifier tothe received attachment file information and registers the attachmentfile information in a table, associated with the identifier and thecorresponding Message-ID of the electronic mail.

The client apparatus 100 reads the corresponding attachment fileinformation from the table in displaying directly or indirectly theelectronic mail with attachment file in response to a user's instructionof the client apparatus 100 as one example. And the client apparatus 100arranges a graphic representing the attachment file of the electronicmail on a child screen that displays the reduced screen of a parentscreen displaying the electronic mail, based on the attachment positioninformation included in the corresponding attachment file information,and displays the child screen together with the parent screen. Theparent screen may have a scroll function, and the child screen maydisplay in down scale the entire text of the electronic mail.

If the attachment file is attached to the electronic mail in a callingform, that is, the storage location information indicating the storagelocation of the attachment file is included in the text of electronicmail, the user of the client apparatus 100 gains access to theattachment file server 400, and makes a request for the attachment filestored in the storage location indicated by the storage locationinformation.

In this way, according to the second embodiment, the attachment filessatisfying a predetermined condition, or all the attachment files, aredeleted from the electronic mail in the mail server 300 a, and stored inthe attachment file server 400. Thus, in the second embodiment, theattachment file information including the attachment positioninformation of the attachment file is acquired from the electronic mailin the local mail server 300 a for the client apparatus 100 thattransmits the electronic mail to acquire the attachment positioninformation in the electronic mail text of the attachment file beforethe attachment file is deleted from the electronic mail.

FIG. 11 is a view showing one example of the functional configuration ofthe mail servers 300 a and 300 b and the attachment file server 400according to the second embodiment of the invention. The mail server 300a according to the second embodiment comprises a transmission mailmanagement part 305, an attachment file processing part 310, and anattachment file information acquisition part 315.

The transmission mail management part 305 has a conventional mail serverfunction of receiving the electronic mail from the client apparatus 100registered in the mail server 300 a, and then judging whether or not theelectronic mail has the attachment file. If the electronic mail has theattachment file, the transmission mail management part 305 passes it tothe attachment file information acquisition part 315. On the other hand,if the electronic mail does not have the attachment file, thetransmission mail management part 305 transfers the received mail to themail server 300 b that manages the electronic mail addressed to thedestination address of the electronic mail.

The attachment file information acquisition part 315 comprises aposition calculation part 320 and an attribute extraction part 325, andacquires the attachment file information on the attachment file from theelectronic mail if receiving the electronic mail with attachment filefrom the transmission mail management part 305. That is, the positioncalculation part 320 acquires the attachment position information of theattachment file attached in the electronic mail text. Also, theattribute extraction part 325 extracts the attribute information of theattachment file except for the attachment position information from theelectronic mail. Since the functions of the position calculation part320 and the attribute extraction part 325 are the same as described inthe first embodiment, the detailed description is omitted here to avoidthe repetition. After acquiring the attachment file information from theelectronic mail, the attachment file information acquisition part 315passes the electronic mail to the attachment file processing part 310.

The attachment file processing part 310 judges whether or not for theelectronic mail acquired from the attachment file informationacquisition part 315, the attachment file satisfies a predeterminedcondition. The predetermined condition may be the condition regardingthe file type or file size of the attachment file as one example. If itis judged that the attachment file does not satisfy the predeterminedcondition, the attachment file processing part 310 receives thecorresponding attachment file information from the attachment fileinformation acquisition part 315, and transfers the attachment fileinformation and the electronic mail to the mail server 300 b thatmanages the electronic mail addressed to the destination address of theelectronic mail.

On the other hand, if it is judged that the attachment file satisfiesthe predetermined condition, the attachment file processing part 310deletes and extracts the attachment file from the electronic mail, anddecodes it. And the attachment file processing part 310 passes thedecoded attachment file together with the destination address of theelectronic mail to which the attachment file is attached and the addressof the mail server 300 b that manages the electronic mail addressed tothe destination address to the attachment file server 400. Instead, theattachment file processing part 310 may receive the storage locationinformation indicating the storage location of the attachment file fromthe attachment file server 400. The attachment file processing part 310embeds the received storage location information into the attachmentposition of the deleted attachment file. And the attachment fileprocessing part 310 receives the corresponding attachment fileinformation from the attachment file information acquisition part 315,adds the storage location information indicating the storage location ofthe attachment file to it, and transfers the attachment file informationand the electronic mail into which the storage location informationindicating the storage location instead of the attachment file isembedded to the mail server 300 b that manages the electronic mailaddressed to the destination address of the electronic mail.

Next, the attachment file server 400 comprises an attachment filemanagement part 405, an attachment file storage device 410, and anupdate information notification part 415.

The attachment file management part 405 receives the decoded attachmentfile from the mail server 300 a, together with the destination addressof the electronic mail to which the attachment file is attached and theaddress of the mail server 300 b that manages the electronic mailaddressed to the destination address, and then stores it associated withthe destination address and the address of the mail server 300 b at apredetermined location of the attachment file storage device 410. Andthe attachment file management part 405 returns the storage locationinformation indicating the storage location to the mail server 300 a. Asone example, the attachment file server 400 may be a Web server, and thestorage location information indicating the storage location of theattachment file may be a URL address according to a storage destinationdirectory.

The attachment file management part 405 receives an access requestincluding the storage location information from the client apparatus100, and then provides the attachment file stored in the storagelocation indicated by the storage location information to the clientapparatus 100. When the attachment file server 400 is a Web server asdescribed above, the client apparatus 100 activates the browser, andgains access to the attachment file server 400 that is the Web serverwith the URL address designated. The attachment file server 400 does notimmediately return the requested attachment file, but transmits ahead aselection screen including the display, edit, store and delete buttonsto prompt the user to select the process for the attachment file. Andthe attachment file management part 405 transmits the requestedattachment file to the client apparatus 100, except when the selectedprocess is “delete”.

If the selected process is “delete”, the attachment file management part405 deletes the requested attachment file from the attachment filestorage device 410. Also, if the selected process is “edit”, theattachment file management part 405 receives the edit contents from theclient apparatus 100, and edits the attachment file stored in theattachment file storage device 410 in accordance with the edit contents.And the attachment file management part 405 passes the type of theprocess for the attachment file by the user of the client apparatus 100together with the storage location information of the attachment file tothe update information notification part 415.

The update information notification part 415 receives the storagelocation information of the attachment file and the type of the processfor the attachment file from the attachment file management part 405,and then reads the address of the mail server 300 b associated with theattachment file from the attachment file storage device 410, based onthe storage location of the attachment file. And the update informationnotification part 415 creates the update information including thestorage location information of the attachment file and the type of theprocess for the attachment file and transmits it to the mail server 300b having the read address.

Next, the mail server 300 b comprises a received mail management part350, an electronic mail storage device 355, an attachment fileinformation storage device 360, and an attachment file informationmanagement part 370.

The electronic mail storage device 355 comprises a plurality of mailboxes corresponding to the respective mail addresses of the plurality ofclient apparatuses 100 registered in the mail server 300 b.

The received mail management part 350 has a conventional mail serverfunction of receiving the electronic mail addressed to the registeredclient apparatus 100 from the mail server 300 a and storing the receivedelectronic mail in the corresponding mail box of the electronic mailstorage device 355. The received mail management part 350 according tothe invention further receives the attachment file information from themail server 300 a and passes it to the attachment file informationmanagement part 370, if the file is attached to the electronic mail.

The attachment file information management part 370 comprises aregistration part 375 and an update part 380, and receives and managesthe attachment file information from the received mail management part350. That is, the registration part 375, upon receiving the attachmentfile information from the received mail management part 350, registersit in a table of the attachment file information storage device 360.

FIG. 12 shows one example of a table in the attachment file informationstorage device 360. The table of the attachment file information storagedevice 360 in the mail server 300 b is substantially the same as thetable of the attachment file viewer database 145 in the client apparatus100 as described in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A. Thetable as shown in FIG. 12A does not have the column of AIV-ID, butinstead, a column of URL indicating the storage location of theattachment file and a column of attachment mode indicating the attachedform of the attachment file are newly added. The registration part 130registers the storage location information in the column of URL, andregisters the “call” in the column of attachment mode, if the storagelocation information indicating the storage location of the attachmentfile is included in the attachment file information.

If the storage location information indicating the storage location ofthe attachment file is not included in the attachment file information,the registration part 130 makes the column of URL and the columns ofattachment file states blank and registers the “attached” in the columnof attached form. Since the other columns are the same as described inthe first embodiment, the explanation is omitted here to avoid therepetition.

In the first embodiment, since the attachment file is directly attachedto the electronic mail, the attachment file A attached to the originalelectronic mail and the attachment file B attached to a part of theoriginal electronic mail in the text of the reply or transfer mailincluding the original electronic mail were physically different in theclient apparatus 100. Therefore, the attachment file information foreach of the attachment file A and the attachment file B was registeredin the table of the attachment file viewer database 145 for the clientapparatus 100.

However, in the second embodiment, the attachment file A attached in acalling form to the original electronic mail, and the attachment file Battached in a calling form to a part of the original electronic mail inthe text of the reply or transfer mail including the original electronicmail are the same attachment file stored in the attachment file server400. Accordingly, one attachment file information corresponding to theattachment file A and the attachment file B is registered for twoelectronic mails of the original electronic mail including theattachment file A and the reply or transfer mail including theattachment file B in the table of the attachment file informationstorage device 360 of the mail server 300 b. Referring to FIG. 12B, thedetails will be described below. In an example as shown in FIG. 12B, itis supposed that an image file a.jpg is attached in a calling form tothe electronic mail of Message-ID=001. Also, it is supposed that theelectronic mail of Message-ID=003 is the reply mail of the electronicmail of Message-ID=001.

One attachment file information on the image file a.jpg is registeredfor both Message-ID=001 and Message-ID=003, as shown in FIG. 12B. Inother words, the attachment file information on the image file a.jpg isshared between Message-ID=001 and Message-ID=003. Since the attachmentfile positions are different between Message-ID=001 and Message-ID=003,two values are registered in the column of attachment file position.

The update part 380 receives a notification of update informationincluding the storage location information of the attachment file andthe type of the process for the attachment file from the attachment fileserver 400, when the attachment file server 400 is accessed by the userof the client apparatus 100, as described above. And if the type of thereceived process is “display”, the update part 380 reads the value ofthe number of accesses in the attachment file information having the URLcoincident with the received storage location information from the tableof the attachment file information storage device 360, and incrementsthis value by one. Similarly, if the type of the process is “edit”, theupdate part 135 reads the value of the number of edits in the attachmentfile information having the URL coincident with the received storagelocation information from the table of the attachment file informationstorage device 360, and increments this value by one. Furthermore, ifthe type of the process is “delete”, the update part 135 reads the valueof the delete state in the attachment file information having the URLcoincident with the received storage location information from the tableof the attachment file information storage device 360, and updates itwith the value of YES.

The received mail management part 350, like the conventional mailserver, receives a request for mail reception from the authenticatedclient apparatus 100, and then reads the electronic mail from thecorresponding mail box, and transfers it to the client apparatus 100.The received mail management part 350 according to the invention readsthe corresponding attachment file information from the attachment fileinformation storage device 360 and transfers it together with theelectronic mail to the client apparatus 100, if the file is attacheddirectly or indirectly to the electronic mail. If the electronic mail isa batch of one series of electronic mails that are repeatedlytransferred or returned, and the attachment file is included in acalling form in any electronic mail, the corresponding attachment fileinformation transmitted together with the electronic mail to the clientapparatus 100 may include the attachment file information after update.

The functional configuration of the client apparatus 100 according tothe second embodiment is fundamentally the same as that of the clientapparatus 100 described in the first embodiment, and therefore, theexplanation is omitted here to avoid the repetition. In the table of theattachment file viewer database 145 for the client apparatus 100according to the second embodiment, a column of URL indicating thestorage location of the attachment file and a column of attachment modeindicating the attached form of the attachment file are newly added, asshown in FIG. 13A. In this embodiment, the AIV-ID is also decided fromthe Message-ID, Subject, and attachment file name. Also, the value ofeach column of attachment file states of the attachment file informationin which the attachment mode is “call” is updated by the attachment fileinformation received from the mail server 300 b. Further, the table ofthe attachment file viewer database 145 in the client apparatus 100according to the second embodiment registers one attachment fileinformation for a plurality of different electronic mails in which thestorage location information indicating the same attachment file storedin the attachment file server 400 is embedded into the text (see FIG.13B), as described with reference to FIG. 12B.

Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, the flow of processes for displaying theattachment file information according to the second embodiment of theinvention will be described below. The flow of a display process for theattachment file information and an update process for the attachmentfile information in the client apparatus 100 is the same as in the firstembodiment described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, and therefore, theexplanation is omitted here to avoid the repetition.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information acquisition process in a mail server system comprisingthe mail servers 300 a and 300 b and the attachment file server 400according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 14, the process starts atstep 300, where the mail server 300 a receives the electronic mail withattachment file from the client apparatus 100 that transmits theelectronic mail, and acquires the attachment file information includingthe attachment position information of the attachment file from theelectronic mail (step 305). Next, the mail server 300 a judges whetheror not the attachment file satisfies a predetermined condition (step310). If it is judged that the attachment file satisfies thepredetermined condition (step 310: YES), the mail server 300 a deletesand extracts the attachment file from the electronic mail, decodes it,and passes it to the attachment file server 400 (step 315).

The process in the attachment file server 400 starts upon receiving theattachment file from the mail server 300 a. The attachment file server400 decides the location of storing the received attachment file, andreturns the storage location information (URL) indicating the storagelocation to the mail server 300 a (step 320). And the attachment fileserver 400 stores the attachment file in the decided storage location(step 325), and the process in the attachment file server 400 is ended.

On the other hand, the mail server 300 a receives the storage locationinformation (URL) indicating the storage location of the attachment filefrom the attachment file server 400 (step 315), and embeds the storagelocation information (URL) into the attachment position of the deletedattachment file (step 330). If decision at step 310 is NO, that is, ifit is judged that the attachment file does not satisfy the predeterminedcondition, or if the process advances from step 330 to step 335, themail server 300 a transfers the electronic mail and the correspondingattachment file information to the mail server 300 b that manages theelectronic mail addressed to the destination address of the electronicmail (step 335). And the process in the mail server 300 a is ended.

The process in the mail server 300 b starts upon receiving theelectronic mail and the corresponding attachment file information fromthe mail server 300 a. The mail server 300 b stores the receivedelectronic mail in the corresponding mail box of the electronic mailstorage device 355 (step 340). Also, the mail server 300 b stores theattachment file information including the attachment positioninformation of the attachment file and the message identifier of theelectronic mail to which the attachment file is attached in theattachment file information storage device 360 (step 345). And theprocess in the mail server 300 b is ended.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of an attachmentfile information update process in the mail server system comprising themail servers 300 b and the attachment file server 400 according to thesecond embodiment. In FIG. 15, the process starts at step 400, where theattachment file server 400 receives a request for the attachment fileincluding the storage location information (URL) from the clientapparatus 100. The attachment file server 400 judges whether or not therequest for the attachment file is “delete” (step 405). If the requestis “delete” (step 405: YES), the attachment file server 400 deletes theattachment file stored at the location indicated by the storage locationinformation (URL) from the attachment file storage device 410 (step410).

On the other hand, if the request for the attachment file is not“delete” (step 405: NO), the attachment file server 400 reads theattachment file from the location indicated by the storage locationinformation (URL) (step 415), and judges whether or not the request forthe attachment file is “edit” (step 420). If the request is “edit” (step420: YES), the attachment file server 400 receives the edit informationindicating the edit contents from the client apparatus 100, and performsan edit process for the attachment file stored at the location indicatedby the storage location information (URL), based on edit information(step 425).

If decision at step 420 is NO, that is, if the request for theattachment file is not “edit”, or if the process advances from step 410or step 425 to step 430, the attachment file server 400 creates theupdate information including the storage location information (URL) ofthe attachment file and the type of the process for the attachment file(step 430). And the attachment file server 400 transmits the createdupdate information to the mail server 300 b (step 435), and the processin the attachment file server 400 is ended.

The process in the mail server 300 b starts upon receiving the updateinformation from the attachment file server 400. The mail server 300 breads the attachment file information having the storage locationinformation coincident with the storage location information included inthe received update information from the attachment file informationstorage device 360, and updates the value in the applicable column ofthe attachment file state in the attachment file information, based onthe type of the update process included in the update information (step440). And the process in the mail server 300 b is ended.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing one example of the flow of a registrationand update process for the attachment file information in the clientapparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. The process in FIG. 16starts when the electronic mail client is activated on the clientapparatus 100 and the electronic mail client transmits a request for theelectronic mail reception to the mail server 300 b. In FIG. 16, theprocess starts at step 500, where the client apparatus 100 gains accessto the mail server 200 b with which it is registered, and receives theelectronic mail. Next, the client apparatus 100 judges whether or notthe attachment file information display function is usable by seeing theAIV flag (step 505). If the AIV flag indicates OFF (step 505: NO), theprocess is ended.

On the other hand, if the AIV flag indicates ON (step 505: YES), theprocess goes to step 510, where the client apparatus 100 receives theattachment file information corresponding to the received electronicmail from the mail server 300 b. Next, for the received attachment fileinformation, the client apparatus 100 decides the AIV-ID from theMessage-ID, Subject and attachment file name included in the attachmentfile information. And the client apparatus 100 judges whether or not theattachment file information having the AIV-ID coincident with thedecided AIV-ID already exists in the attachment file viewer database 145according to the second embodiment (step 515).

If the attachment file information having the coincident AIV-ID does notexist (step 515: NO), the process goes to step 520, where the clientapparatus 100 registers the received attachment file information in theattachment file viewer database 145 (step 520), and the process isended. On the other hand, if the attachment file information having thecoincident AIV-ID exists (step 515: YES), the process goes to step 525,where the client apparatus 100 compares each column of the attachmentfile states of the received attachment file information and each columnof the attachment file states of the attachment file information havingthe coincident AIV-ID, and judged whether or not the attachment fileinformation having the coincident AIV-ID should be updated.

If it is judged that the attachment file information should be updated(step 525: YES), the client apparatus 100 updates the attachment fileinformation having the coincident AIV-ID with the received attachmentfile information (step 530), and the process is ended. If decision atstep 525 is NO, that is, if it is judged that the attachment fileinformation should not be updated, the process is ended.

FIG. 17 is a view showing one example of the hardware configuration ofan information processing apparatus suitable for implementing the clientapparatus 100, the mail servers 200 and 300 and the attachment fileserver 400 according to the embodiment of the invention. The informationprocessing apparatus comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1 and amain memory 4 connected to a bus 2. The hard disk units 13 and 30, andthe removable storages (external storage systems capable of exchangingthe recording media) such as CD-ROM devices 26 and 29, a flexible diskunit 20, an MO unit 28 and a DVD unit 31 are connected via a floppy(registered trademark) disk controller 19, an IDE controller 25 and aSCSI controller 27 to the bus 2.

The recording medium such as a flexible disk, an MO, a CD-ROM or aDVD-ROM is inserted into a removable storage. In these storage media orhard disk units 13 and 30 and the ROM 14, the code of a computer programproduct for practicing the invention can be recorded by giving aninstruction to the CPU in cooperation with an operating system.

That is, the various storage devices for the information processingapparatus as the client apparatus 100 can store an electronic mailclient for performing the basic processes for transmitting andreceiving, creating and displaying the electronic mail, and anelectronic mail display program product according to the inventionoperating in cooperation with the electronic mail client. Also, thestorage device for the information processing apparatus as the mailservers 200 and 300 and the attachment file server 400 can store a basicprogram product for providing the basic services of transmitting andreceiving the electronic mail to the client apparatus 100, and theelectronic mail display program product according to the inventionoperating in cooperation with the basic program product. The electronicmail display program product on the client side for practicing theinvention can be made a part of the electronic mail client. Similarly,the electronic mail display program product on the server side forpracticing the invention can be made a part of the basic programproduct.

These plural computer program products are loaded into the main memory 4and executed. The computer program product may be compressed, or dividedinto plural blocks and stored in multiple media.

The information processing apparatus accepts inputs from an input devicesuch as a keyboard 6 or a mouse 7 via a keyboard/mouse controller 5. Theinformation processing apparatus accepts inputs from a microphone 24 viaan audio controller 21 and outputs the voice from a speaker 23. Theinformation processing apparatus is connected to a display unit 11 forpresenting visual data to the user via a graphic controller 10. Theinformation processing apparatus can be connected via a network adaptor18 (Ethernet (registered trademark) card or token ring card) to thenetwork to make the communication with another computer.

From the above description, it will be easily understood that theinformation processing apparatus suitable for implementing theattachment file information display system according to the embodimentof the invention can be realized by the information processing apparatussuch as an ordinary personal computer, a workstation or a main frame, ora combination thereof. The above components are illustrative, and allthe components are not requisite components for the invention.

Though the invention has been described above using the embodiments, thetechnical scope of the invention is not limited to the scope asdescribed in the embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various changes or improvements may be made to the aboveembodiments. Accordingly, such changes or improvements may be naturallyincluded in the technical scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic mail display program product,including: a program storage device readable by a computer; and aprogram of instructions tangibly embodied on the program storage deviceand executable by the computer to perform method steps for displaying anelectronic mail, the method steps comprising: receiving an electronicmail from a remote source, said electronic mail including a mail textand an attachment file separate from said mail text acquiring attachmentposition information, said attachment position information beingseparate from said mail text and said attachment file, said attachmentposition information comprising an x and y coordinate with respect to areference location, said attachment position information indicating anattachment position within said mail text of said electronic mail withwhich said attachment file of the received electronic mail isassociated; storing said acquired attachment position informationassociated with a corresponding identifier of said electronic mail; andresponsive to a user instruction to display the electronic mail,displaying said mail text together with a graphic representing saidattachment file of said electronic mail on a mail screen for displayingsaid electronic mail, said graphic representing said attachment filebeing displayed on said mail screen at a location within said mail textcorresponding to said attachment position without opening saidattachment file, said graphic being selectable by the user to open saidattachment file.
 2. The electronic mail display program productaccording to claim 1, wherein said attachment position information isacquired from a mail server that stores the electronic mail addressed tosaid computer.
 3. The electronic mail display program product accordingto claim 1, wherein said attachment position information includes thenumber of characters and the number of line feeds from the text head ofsaid electronic mail to the attachment position of said attachment file.4. The electronic mail display program product according to claim 1,wherein the method further comprises the steps of: acquiring attributeinformation regarding said attachment file of said received electronicmail, and said graphic representing said attachment file of saidelectronic mail is different depending on said attribute information ofsaid attachment file.
 5. The electronic mail display program productaccording to claim 4, wherein said attribute information includes a filetype and a file size of said attachment file.
 6. The electronic maildisplay program product according to claim 4, wherein said attributeinformation includes the attached state information indicating anattached state of said attachment file, and the method further comprisesthe steps of: updating said attached state information included in saidattribute information of said attachment file from an attached state toa deleted state in response to a delete instruction for deleting theattachment file from a user of said computer.
 7. The electronic maildisplay program product according to claim 4, wherein said attributeinformation includes the number of accesses to said attachment file, andthe method further comprises the steps of: incrementing said number ofaccesses included in said attribute information of said attachment filein response to an execution instruction for the attachment file from auser of said computer.
 8. The electronic mail display program productaccording to claim 4, wherein said attribute information includes thenumber of edits of said attachment file, and the method furthercomprises the steps of: incrementing said number of edits included insaid attribute information of said attachment file in response to anedit instruction for the attachment file from a user of said computer.9. The electronic mail display program product according to claim 1,wherein the method further comprises the steps of: prompting a user ofsaid computer to select a process for said attachment file correspondingto said selected graphic from among display, edit, store and delete inresponse to a selection instruction for said graphic on said mail screenfrom said user.
 10. The electronic mail display program productaccording to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:detecting a state where the cursor is put on said graphic on said mailscreen, and displaying attribute information of said attachment filecorresponding to said graphic on which said cursor is put near saidcursor in response to said detection.
 11. The electronic mail displayprogram product according to claim 1, wherein said electronic mail is abatch of one series of electronic mails that are repeatedly transferredor replied.
 12. The electronic mail display program product according toclaim 1, wherein displaying said mail text together with a graphicrepresenting said attachment file of said electronic mail on a mailscreen for displaying said electronic mail comprises displaying agraphic representing said attachment file of said electronic mail on achild screen for displaying a reduced screen of a parent screen fordisplaying said electronic mail based on said corresponding attachmentposition information and displaying said child screen together with saidparent screen.
 13. The electronic mail display program product accordingto claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:detecting a state where a cursor is located on said child screen, anddisplaying in up scale said child screen near the position of saidcursor in response to said detection.
 14. The electronic mail displayprogram product according to claim 12, wherein said parent screen has ascroll function, and said child screen displays in down scale the entiretext of said electronic mail.
 15. An electronic mail display programproduct, including: a program storage device readable by a mail server;and a program of instructions tangibly embodied on the program storagedevice and executable by the mail server to perform method steps fordisplaying an electronic mail, the method steps comprising: receiving anelectronic mail from a remote source, said electronic mail including amail text and an attachment file separate from said mail text; acquiringattachment position information, said attachment position informationbeing separate from said mail text and said attachment file, saidattachment position information comprising an x and y coordinate withrespect to a reference location, said attachment position informationindicating an attachment position within said mail text of saidelectronic mail with which said attachment file of the receivedelectronic mail is associated; extracting said attachment file from saidelectronic mail and storing said extracted attachment file in anattachment file storage device; embedding storage location informationindicating a storage location of said attachment file; storing saidelectronic mail into which said storage location information of saidattachment file is embedded in a corresponding mail box, based on thedestination information; storing said attachment position informationassociated with said storage location information and an identifier ofsaid electronic mail in an attachment file information storage device;and transmitting said electronic mail stored in said corresponding mailbox together with said corresponding attachment position information toa client apparatus in response to a reception request for the electronicmail from said client apparatus for use by said client apparatus indisplaying said mail text together with a graphic representing saidattachment file, said graphic representing said attachment file beingdisplayed at a location with said mail text corresponding to saidattachment position information without opening said attachment file,said graphic being selectable by the user to open said attachment file.16. The electronic mail display program product according to claim 15,wherein the method further comprises the steps of: acquiring attributeinformation of the attachment file of the received electronic mail,storing the acquired attribute information in said attachment fileinformation storage device, performing a process in accordance with thecontents of a request in response to said request from said clientapparatus including said storage location information of said attachmentfile, and updating said attribute information of said correspondingattachment file in accordance with said process that is performed. 17.The electronic mail display program product according to claim 16,wherein said electronic mail is a batch of one series of electronicmails that are repeatedly transferred or replied, and said transmittingsaid electronic mail to said client apparatus includes transmitting saidelectronic mail together with said corresponding attachment positioninformation and said attribute information after update to said clientapparatus.
 18. A digital data processing device which displayselectronic mail, comprising: a processor; a data storage; acommunications interface for communicating with an external network andreceiving electronic mail therefrom; a display for displayinginformation, including electronic mail, to a user; an electronic mailmanagement function executable on said processor, said electronic mailmanagement function for presenting items of electronic mail received viasaid communications interface on said display, at least some items ofelectronic mail comprising a respective mail text, a respective at leastone attachment file separate from said mail text, and respectiveattachment position information corresponding to each said respective atleast one attachment file, said attachment position information beingseparate from the respective mail text and the corresponding attachmentfile, each said attachment position information comprising a respectivex and y coordinate with respect to a reference location, each saidattachment position information indicating an attachment position withinthe respective mail text of the respective electronic mail with whichthe corresponding attachment file of the received electronic mail isassociated; wherein, responsive to a user instruction to display aselected item of electronic mail containing mail text, at least oneattachment file, and attachment position information corresponding toeach attachment file, said electronic mail management function causespresentation on said display of a mail screen displaying the selecteditem of electronic mail, the mail screen including the mail textcontained in the selected item of electronic mail together with arespective graphic representing each attachment file of the at least oneattachment file contained in the selected item of electronic mail, eachsaid graphic being displayed on said mail screen at a respectivelocation within the mail text corresponding to the attachment positionof the corresponding attachment file indicated by the correspondingattachment position information, each said graphic being displayedwithout opening the corresponding attachment file, each said graphicbeing selectable by the user to open the corresponding attachment file.